UK's Rich/Poor Lifespan Gap Grows for First Time in 150 Years

The gap in life expectancy between the richest and the poorest members of society appears to be widening, with an analysis of mortality stats showing that being rich is quite a help when it comes to living for a long time. As the recent 90th birthday of a well-known rich old lady ought to have already signalled.

This bit of death clock watching comes via the Cass Business School, where a couple of stats-minded academics have ruffled the pages of the UK's Human Mortality Database. Report author Professor Mayhew said: "We found that since the 1990s lifespan inequalities in men have actually worsened in England and Wales. This is partly due to some men now living to exceptionally old ages and in many cases equaling women but at the other end of the distribution there has been a lack of progress."

Smoking, drinking and poor diet choices are singled out as the reasons the poor are being shortchanged in terms of years on the planet. The gap's always been there, of course; the worry is that it's started widening for the first time since the 1870s, as the rich of today, with their baskets of kale and avocados, are starting to power further ahead. [CASS via Independent]